Michael, 87, London
Occupation: Michael was a software engineer who is now retired and working on a book about cyber-physical systems.
Voting record: “I voted for Labour in ’97 and Conservative when Jeremy Corbyn was leading the Labour party.”
Amuse bouche: Because his name is Michael Jackson, he used to receive a lot of phone calls from schoolgirls. “I’d tell them, the Michael Jackson you’re looking for isn’t listed in the London telephone directory.”
Rebeca, 29, London
Occupation: Rebeca is a digital specialist in the NHS.
Voting record: Rebeca votes socialist in Spain and Labour in local elections in the UK.
Amuse bouche: Rebeca fluently speaks three languages: Spanish, English, and Portuguese. She is currently learning Albanian.
For starters
Michael: We both ordered calamari, and I had pasta as my main. I would usually have a glass of wine, but I’m still recovering from a traumatic operation a year ago.
Rebeca: He’s a distinguished older gentleman who is very well put together. The restaurant was quite noisy, so I tried to speak slowly and politely to get my point across. But I ended up doing most of the talking.
Michael: Rebeca speaks fast and talks a lot. I didn’t say much, which was not the plan, but it was difficult to arrange otherwise.
The big beef
Rebeca: We discussed the NHS and the contributions immigrants like myself make. He was shocked when I referred to myself as an immigrant. He seems to think that immigrants can only be non-white.
Michael: She mentioned that immigrants don’t feel welcomed and liked in the UK. She included herself as a Spanish woman who came here as an EU citizen 10 years ago. I found that hard to believe.
Rebeca: He claimed he didn’t notice racism in the country and pointed out that the Prime Minister is of Asian descent. I argued that racism exists and is deeply ingrained, even within the government.
Michael: I shared my recent experience in the hospital where most of the nurses were Filipino. I didn’t see any evidence of prejudice against them. I also told her that I hadn’t personally experienced the racism she perceived. As a Jewish person, I understand there may be some differentiation, but I haven’t encountered racism as she described it.
Rebeca: I explained that he has never noticed racism because he appears as a white person.
Sharing plate
Rebeca: We discussed immigration and climate change, but we didn’t agree on anything.
Michael: It would be absurd to say that everyone in this country has equal opportunities. So in that sense, I agreed with her.
For afters
Rebeca: We talked about Brexit and how leaving the EU has impacted climate change targets. I believe there’s been a decline in environmental care and an increase in pollution across the country. His response was uncertain.
Michael: I have thoughts on Brexit, but I didn’t find the opportunity to express them.
Rebeca: At one point, he asked about my opinion on Extinction Rebellion and if I was a member. I suggested they might gain more support by using different protest tactics. So we agreed that their current methods don’t work.
Michael: If I had shared my thoughts, I would have mentioned that I don’t approve of their practices.
Takeaway
Michael: If “talked about” means exchanging opinions and facts, I’m not sure we talked about anything. Rebeca talked nonstop for two hours, and my interjections were minimal.
Rebeca: I think I spoke too much, and he seemed reserved, probably afraid of offending me. It was a pleasant evening, but discussing many topics made him uncomfortable.
Additional reporting: Kitty Drake
Michael and Rebeca dined at Morso in London.
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